Nopony's Perfect
by Silent Spirit 17
Summary: After Celestia learns Luna has been hiding her self-harm out of guilt for her actions as Nightmare Moon, she decides they should have a day and night out together to bring their relationship closer. Only problem is it's been such a long time since the sisters really spent time together as, well, sisters. How exactly do princesses have a "sisters' day and night"?
1. Opening Up

"Luna, when did you get that scar?" Celestia asked as she and her sister shared breakfast. Well, it was dinner for Luna, but it was the same meal.

"This?" Luna said, holding up her right hoof. "Oh, it's from... I just walked into the doorway when I came back. Tired, you know?"

"That looks more like a cut than a bruise, sister."

"It's nothing!" Luna quickly said. "Really, it'll fix itself. It's nothing to concern yourself with. I'm going to bed now."

"But your breakfast..."

Luna hurried off before Celestia could ask another question, leaving the older pony very worried. Luna didn't want Celestia to know. She didn't want anyone to know, but especially not Celestia.

Celestia had to attend to her daily royal duties, so for the time being, she had to hope her concerns for Luna really were nothing to worry over and let Luna be. Were it only that morning, Celestia could've blown it off as just Luna being tired, but she'd done this a few times now. Appearing with a random cut she blamed on klutziness and tried to assure Celestia there wasn't need to worry. But Celestia couldn't not worry.

As always, she put on a smiling face and gave cheerful waves to everypony of her kingdom, but that brave face she'd long ago mastered hid her worry about her sister.

Rarely did Luna wake up before Celestia returned at the end of the day, so it wasn't strange at all to not see her immediately when Celestia came home. To settle her worry anyway, Celestia decided to check on Luna. She made her way to her sister's room. At first, she merely pressed her ear to the door. When she heard nothing, she slowly opened it and took a peek inside.

Surprisingly, Luna was awake, but her back was turned toward the door, so Celestia couldn't see what she was doing. "Sister?"

Luna gasped and darted around, quickly sitting down on whatever she'd been using. "How... how long were you standing there?"

"Just now. What are you doing?" Celestia asked her. "I'm surprised you aren't asleep."

"I was sleeping earlier. I've gotten sleep."

"Good, but... what were you doing?" Celestia asked she walked in with suspicion. "What are you hiding? And why is your hoof bleeding?"

The same hoof Celestia had earlier noticed had a cut now had fresh second one. "It's nothing, sister. I just walked into the doorway again."

Celestia wasn't falling for that explanation a second time. Something wasn't right, and Celestia wanted to know now. She was angry Luna was blatantly being dishonest, but she was more worried than angry, and that's what emotion she spoke with.

"Luna, please stop lying to me."

"I-"

"Those are not bruises. They are cuts," Celestia stated matter-of-factly. "I know the difference. Maybe you did walk into a doorway. I don't know. But you did not get those cuts that way."

Luna frowned and looked downward. Really, she should've known better than to try to hide anything from Celestia. After what happened the last time Luna let her feelings fester, she should've known how to communicate with Celestia, of all ponies. But how could she say... this?

Luna broke out of her thoughts when she felt Celestia nuzzling her face. Without meaning to, she'd begun crying lightly.

"Sister, I never want a repeat of the past," Celestia repeated. "So, please tell me why you won't be honest with me. You can tell me anything. I promised you that."

Luna finally stood on her hooves and kicked over the pair of scissors she concealed to her sister's hooves. She didn't need to explain. Celestia put two and two together very easily once she glanced at the scissors and back to Luna's cuts.

"You've been hurting yourself."

Luna nodded, and even lifted her other hooves one at a time for Celestia to see. All four had multiple cuts.

"How are you walking without pain?" Celestia asked, though it wasn't her main concern.

"I don't. That's the point," Luna answered. "It's not supposed to be painless. I shouldn't be free of pain."

Celestia almost began to cry herself, but not just yet. "Please. Explain."

"You said it. The past. Because of what I did as... Nightmare Moon."

"Sister, that has nothing to do with-"

"I was a monster!" Luna lamented as her tears became heavier. "I'm the last pony who deserves to feel good."

Celestia's heart broke. She had missed Luna immensely over the millennium she was banished. She was overjoyed when Luna agreed to accept her friendship and rule by her side once more. She knew Luna felt guilty, but she thought that was going away in time. Had she known otherwise, she would've tried to convince her then and there.

Until Luna calmed herself, Celestia stayed quiet and nuzzled her face as comfort. When the younger pony was fully quiet and her tears ceased falling, Celestia stood upright and spoke to her in the most sincere voice, but serious tone she could.

"Do you remember what I said when we were finally reunited? It's time to put our differences behind us. Nightmare Moon was awful, but she is of the past now. What matters is you're here and she will never exist again. You've already apologized. Nothing more is needed."

"You don't understand..." Luna said as she began to walk away, but Celestia stopped her.

"Then, make me understand!" Celestia pleaded, though it almost sounded like an order. "I promised you could tell me anything. I meant it. I'm listening."

Luna sighed, but finally gave in. "You said it. Nightmare Moon was awful. I did awful things as Nightmare Moon. And you're standing here, questioning why I feel guilty. Why shouldn't I? I hurt everyone as Nightmare Moon. You can't give me one reason I shouldn't feel this way."

"The past is in the past," Celestia reminded her. "What if I told you I have regrets too?"

Luna finally looked up, her sad expression replaced by a shocked one. "What?"

"Come with me," Celestia gently ordered. "And put your shoes on."

Luna quickly gathered her shoes on and followed her sister. They walked down one of their castle's many hallways in silence for a few minutes until Luna asked where they were going.

"Nowhere in particular," Celestia answered. "I'm trying to show you what life was like at night for me while you were gone."

"Wandering the halls?"

"Yes. The truth is it took me a long time to sleep through the night without you. I spent countless nights wandering aimlessly."

"But I was never here," Luna said. "I would be patrolling the dream world."

"But you were coming back at the end of every night," Celestia explained. "Knowing that is why I could sleep through the night. When I banished you to the moon, I used the Elements of Harmony without foreseeing the consequences. The truth is I regret not trying harder to reason with you."

"S-sister..."

"And I can't patrol the dream world," Celestia continued. "For 1,000 years, ponies had to be tormented by their nightmares and I could do nothing. You didn't hurt everyone. I did. I gave up on you too soon."

Luna didn't know what to say. She'd never seen this side of her sister. Everypony believed Celestia was the perfect figure of a ruler, and though Luna always kept it to herself, she wasn't an exception. Even after her return from imprisonment, she believed the same. This was the first time she saw her sister behave in a way that challenged her outlook.

After her brief shock ended, Luna found something to say. "But you were still doing what you thought was best."

"Thought. Doesn't mean it was," Celestia pointed out. "Again, you didn't hurt everyone."

"I... huh?"

"You hurt me," Celestia clarified. "I was worried you would hurt everyone and I wanted to stop you before that had a chance to happen. But I should've broken Nightmare Moon apart, not sent you away with her. If you are going to feel guilty for Nightmare Moon's actions, you should at least know how I feel about mine. You were beyond reason by that time, and that was my fault for not taking the time before to listen to you."

Luna knew what she was talking about. Those times Luna had tried to express her feelings of being unappreciated and uncared about by their subjects, only for Celestia to scold her about being selfish and tell her being a ruler isn't done for praise. Granted, Luna kept her feelings of jealousy and living in her sister's shadow under wraps, but it would've led to more of the same lecture.

"I am sorry, little sister."

That was enough, and Luna hugged Celestia. She couldn't say it right then, but that was all she had ever needed to know. That she wasn't the only vulnerable ruler.

"Please don't hurt yourself anymore," Celestia pleaded. "Nightmare Moon is not a part of you anymore. I'll do whatever I have to for you to move on."

Luna smiled. "You don't have to do anything. That's all I wanted to hear. I just wanted to know that I wasn't the only imperfect princess."

"What? That's what caused all those feelings?"

"Feeling jealous and bitter and just wishing I could be in your place, yes."

Celestia laughed for a moment. "Sister, you don't know how much I wish I was perfect. It would make my days easier. That's for certain."

"You mean you fake it?" Luna asked as if it was the most ridiculous thing to suggest.

"Don't tell me... you really think I feel happy all day when I'm out and about in the kingdom? That I feel okay because I can keep smiling?" Celestia was stifling a laugh at this point and doing a bad job of hiding it.

"You're smiling right now!" Luna pointed out.

"Because it's not true! That's not true at all!" Celestia told her, finally falling victim to her urge of laughter. Luna didn't understand what was so funny. Thankfully, Celestia quickly pulled herself together. "Go raise the moon and do your nightly duties. I don't want to postpone you. But when you come back, I'll explain. I'll tell you all about it."

Luna went off to perform her nightly duties, though she still wasn't sure she understood it all. It didn't bother her. She was still happy Celestia disproved herself of the being of perfection Luna used to envy her as.

Celestia was turning in for the night to get some rest. For a few more minutes, she gave thought to her sister. Although Celestia had laughed earlier, it saddened her a little Luna didn't think much differently of her than their subjects. Luna was the only one Celestia felt she could be her genuine self around, yet Luna seemed to have never caught that. Perfect? In Celestia's dreams. Actually, not even then.

She was determined to clear the air when Luna returned, but for now, Celestia let herself fall asleep.

* * *

 _ **Author's note/mini-rant:** Thanks to my boyfriend's love of the show, I've started watching _My Little Pony _. I don't like it. Not because I think it actually sucks, but because Celestia and Luna have become my favorite characters and I don't like how the show treats their history and relationship. Luna is absent for the majority of the show as a whole, which really irks and makes no sense since her eventual arrival as Nightmare is what set of the premiere in the first place. In 7 seasons, the sisters have **one** episode that focus on their relationship, and it pretty much has them disregarding what they should know by now (refusing to communicate with each other about how they feel) to make the episode work. I still loved it because they were the focus, but that episode was so obviously done to pander to the fans who wanted them to have a focus episode together, it's painful. I know there's no point in complaining because 1) I'm 7 seasons late to the party and 2) it's a preschool show, and shows aimed at that age group aren't exactly notorious for being complex, so long as the kids get a lesson at the end. Although, I would think _not _forgetting the lessons you learned would be a good lesson._

 _Anyway, since I'm not happy with the show's treatment of the sisters' story and friendship, I made my own. That's what fan fiction is for, isn't it? It's probably just as cheesy, but with the episodes I've watched so far, I feel like some things are really contrived for the sake of keeping within the time limit, to say the least. Again, that's why we have fan fiction._


	2. An Idea Comes

As she always did at the end of every night, Luna returned exhausted from her duties. She couldn't wait to get to bed and call it a night, but she joined her sister for breakfast/dinner first. She hadn't forgotten about last night.

"Good morning, sister," Celestia greeted her happily as always. "I know you're tired, but I hope we can still talk before you fall asleep and I have to leave for my duties."

"You were about to die of laughter, I'm sure," Luna recalled in jest.

"I couldn't help it," Celestia told her. "It's a funny thought, but it's not true. I'm not perfect, sister, and I never will be. I laughed at the idea, but I'm a little sad you think that way of me."

"You are?" Luna asked. "Why? What's to be sad about if someone thinks you're perfect? Everypony thinks you're perfect! Especially Twilight Sparkle. Don't tell me you're sad everypony adores you."

"No, but you know who I am and you think just like everypony else," Celestia explained. "You're the one pony I hoped would see me differently."

"I'm not sure I follow."

"Keeping a smile on my face doesn't mean I'm happy. I've had a lot of practice. A millennium's worth. More than that."

"What's the worst that could happen if you stop smiling?" Luna asked.

"You might be surprised," Celestia answered. "It doesn't sound hard, but you work alone. Try to imagine what it's like to be watched every minute and have every small thing you do publicized. Every small thing."

Luna had to admit it did sound like something out of a nightmare. Her job wasn't easy either, but she did have the privilege of pacing herself since her only deadline was sunrise.

"Well, you never had to be perfect for me," Luna told her. "And seeing you smile so much like that is kind of creepy."

"Tell me something I don't know," Celestia laughed.

"But why are you telling me this now?" Luna asked, almost sounding accusing. "Why after a millennium?"

Celestia felt embarrassed. It was a question she couldn't answer. Well, she could, but she was positive Luna would hate her for it. But it wasn't fair for Luna to be open and not her, and she didn't want to ruin the good mood, so she answered.

"The truth is I thought you knew back then."

"What?" Luna asked flatly.

"I didn't know you were resentful of me until Nightmare Moon was too close for me to do anything," Celestia explained. "I only knew you thought nopony liked you because they slept at night. I didn't know I was part of it. I thought you knew I faked it."

"That doesn't make sense! Every time I tried to talk about it, you just gave me a silly lecture!" Luna replied, temper rising. "And if I had blatantly said how I felt about you, you still would've lectured me!"

"I almost wish you had," Celestia admitted, lowering her head. "I left you alone because I thought if I gave you space, you'd calm down."

"Wait a minute!" Luna exclaimed, raising a hoof. "You mean you weren't ignoring me?"

"Is that what you thought? Of course not! I didn't know how else to help you," Celestia replied. "All of my mistakes..." Celestia swallowed her food nervously. "All of my mistakes came crashing down on me after I exiled you. That was what it took for me to see where I went wrong. And I am more sorry for that than I express, Sister."

Luna's temper cooled and she had no idea what to say. She wasn't sure what stunned her more: that Celestia didn't know how to do something, or she was admitting to being a victim of pride. That perfect pony was gone, but Luna suddenly gained a new respect for her sister.

"You have to leave soon," Luna told her. "I guess better you tell me extremely late than never." She got out of her chair and walked over to her sister. "What if from now on, I just see you as Celestia, my big sister instead of Celestia, who rules over Equestria, perfect and loved by all?"

"To anypony else, it'd sound crazy, but I would love that."

"On one condition," Luna added.

"Yes?"

"Stop smiling so much. It's really creepy. I can tell when that's fake."

Celestia relaxed her facial muscles and let her smile shrink a little. It really did feel good. "Force of habit. You do get used to it."

Breakfast was over and Luna headed off to her quarters for rest while Celestia headed out for the day. It really was a load off both ponies' minds to get their thoughts out in the open. And they wanted things to stay like this.

Suddenly, Celestia had an idea. It would have to wait until the day's end, but if she could make it work, it would undoubtedly bring her and Luna closer. Perhaps more than they'd ever been. But first, she needed a little help. She took some time to write and send out a quick scroll before starting on her to-do list for the day.


	3. More Distant Than They Thought

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight cried as she rushed in, breathless. "I'm here, just like you asked."

"Thank you, Twilight," Celestia said kindly. "As I stated in my letter, you are very important for what I must request of you."

"But is Princess Luna okay?" Twilight asked anxiously.

"I believe so. I wanted to speak with you in pony rather than explain in a letter. I think it's easier."

Twilight settled herself onto a pillow as a seat, but Celestia could see right on her face she was ready to burst with anticipation. If Twilight accepted, it would be the biggest assignment Celestia had ever given her. As Twilight had always been dutiful as a student, albeit occasionally overzealous, Celestia had no doubt she could trust her with it.

Celestia took a deep breath. "Twilight, I am going to ask you, for one day, to fulfill my duties as Equestria's ruler."

Twilight's jaw dropped to the floor. It took her a few moments to collect herself.

"I am worried about mine and Luna's relationship," Celestia explained. "But with our schedules, we have little time together. I got her to admit she was hiding something, but what we really need is a day for us to only be concerned with each other. I don't like to make confessions, but it wouldn't be fair if I wasn't open with Luna in return."

"What exactly would I have to do?" Twilight asked, still internally debating if this was real or a dream.

Celestia pulled out a list from her beneath her wing and unrolled it. "It's a lot, I know, but I believe in you, Twilight. As much as I want to bring Luna and I closer, I can't leave my duties unfulfilled on a whim, so I need someone to temporarily stand in my place. Please, will you, Twilight?"

Though the request felt overwhelming, Twilight understood Celestia's reasons and she also wanted the sisters to be closer. As her mentor, Celestia had never been anything short of a positive figure in Twilight's life, so declining wasn't even an option in Twilight's mind. She stood strongly on her hooves and, as if making a declaration, answered, "Absolutely. You can count on me."

"Thank you so much!" Celestia gave Twilight the list to take under her own wing. "This will be for 24 hours."

"24 hours? But who will guard ponies from their nightmares?" Twilight asked.

"I don't know all of my sister's magic, but I don't doubt she'd have a solution up her wing for that," Celestia replied. "I'm only asking you tend to my duties. I know Luna's can only be tended to by her."

It made Twilight nervous, but she couldn't doubt Celestia's word. She still agreed, and with it settled, both ponies headed off for their homes.

* * *

"Sister, you're late," Luna said when she finally saw Celestia come in.

"Late? I wasn't aware I had a curfew," Celestia joked. "I had to speak with Twilight Sparkle."

"What's the problem?" Before Celestia answered the question, Luna noticed she was staring down at her hooves. "No, Sister, I haven't cut myself. They're healing. I have no new cuts."

Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she explained. "I asked Twilight to take over my duties for tomorrow."

"Why? Where are you going?"

"It's where _we_ are going," Celestia said. "Do you have any spells that can make Equestria dreamless for a night?"

"Well, yes, I do, but... where are we going? Why at the last minute?" Luna sounded suspicious.

"Because it came to me right before I started my duties," Celestia answered seriously. "I'm trying to arrange for us to have a day and night out. 24 hours of only ourselves to worry about for us to have fun."

"Wow..." Luna and Celestia hadn't done that since they were fillies. After they had to take Equestria's royal thrones, they had almost no time for each other, and after Luna recovered from being shattered as Nightmare Moon, that same schedule resumed. Even before Luna was able to take on her duties again, much of her time was spent resting to regain her power and energy for when she could.

"Tomorrow. Day and night. No duties," Celestia explained. "Just the two of us. Do you like it?"

Instead of yes or no, Luna answered with a question of her own. "Are you really doing this because of what you said before? Not trying harder to reason with me?"

"It's better than cutting yourself," Celestia replied, sounding a bit blunt. "But I want us to be close for once. Before, only times of crisis brought us together."

"You have awful timing, Sister," Luna teased. "Really awful timing."

"Better extremely late than never?" Celestia asked awkwardly, quoting her sister's words from the morning.

Luna laughed. "Of course, I'll go. I still have some time before I have to leave to begin patrolling the dream realm."

"Perfect. Let's go see what we can plan for our day and night out."

Luna followed Celestia, keeping her thoughts to herself. She wasn't so naïve. She knew Celestia really wanted to talk about, well, everything there was to talk about between them until there was nothing left to clear. Knowing that made Luna nervous, but she wasn't going to turn down a whole day and night with her sister. She'd waited too long for this. Plus, Luna secretly liked Celestia was trying so hard to bring them close and to keep her word about them being open from now on.

With the little time Luna had left, the sisters went about trying to list things they'd like doing together. As it turned out, the answers were few. Everything Celestia came up with was something Luna felt neutral about at best, and Celestia felt the same for any ideas Luna had. The only thing they could agree they both enjoyed was looking after their palace.

"Maybe there wasn't much difference between being in the moon and being here," Luna remarked half-jokingly. "We can agree on nothing."

"Never say that again," Celestia said strictly.

"You put me there. How are you more sour about it?" Luna asked a bit angrily.

"Don't act like I had a choice!"

"Don't act like I hadn't lost my mind!"

Before the next cold statement could transfer from her mind to her mouth, Celestia realized what they were doing. "Oh... this is why I'm trying to arrange this for us."

Luna simmered down too. "I meant to say we weren't close back then and almost never saw each other. Kind of disappointed all that's changed are rules in etiquette," Luna sighed. "I have to raise the moon now and head to the dream realm, so time's up."

"Go ahead. But really, never say that again," Celestia told her, less sternly, but just as serious. "I shouldn't talk like I was the one imprisoned. You're right. But I never want to imagine us apart like that ever again. If I have to choose, I'd rather a millennium of us distant under the same roof than across the sky."

"So would I. Let's stop talking about it. I'm going to go raise the moon."

Luna walked away while Celestia tried to finish the list herself. "That sure went well," she mumbled to herself.


	4. This Seems Familiar

After raising the moon, Luna took a few moments to look out over the kingdom as the citizens began turning off the lights to head to sleep. She spotted a few small fillies and colts still running around outside, trying to avoid their bedtime, and a group of four teens heading out on what seemed like it could be a "ponies' night out".

Luna watched them almost enviously. "I hope Celestia and I can make this work," she said out loud, not caring she was talking to herself since it was habit for her by now while on the job. She closed her eyes and transported herself to the dream realm. The first batch of several dreams that passed her were sweet ones, which made her smile as she admired them. One in particular that caught her eye was of Twilight dressed up similarly to Celestia as she attended to Celestia's daily tasks.

"Oh, Twilight Sparkle," Luna laughed. Luna glided through the realm, eying everypony's dreams to ensure they were enjoying their slumber. Eventually, she happened upon a few nightmares, some major and some not, but none anything she couldn't deal with. However, one particular nightmare really caught her interest. It seemed to be of a lone filly, though not one Luna personally knew. She seemed unhappy, so Luna entered the dream to see if she could help.

"Excuse me," Luna said politely as she approached the filly. The filly looked up at her with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen. "Do you need help?"

"Can you bring back my sister?" the filly asked tearfully.

"Where did she go? Was she captured? Taken off?"

The filly shook her head. "She went away because... we don't love each other anymore!"

"That can't be true," Luna insisted. "Did you fight?"

"We sure did," answered a voice from behind. Luna turned around to see a bigger pony, though still half Luna's own height, standing a few feet behind her. "Because Strawberry here thinks she should take everyone's time!"

"You never even look at me unless you're yelling at me!" Strawberry argued, still in tears.

"Stop! Tell me exactly what's going on," Luna told both ponies.

Strawberry spoke first. "Dandelion and I used to play together all the time." The dream began to shift through memories as Strawberry spoke. "Endless days at the playground, games at night, trying to stay up past our bedtimes. We always had fun together. Right, Dandelion?"

Dandelion scoffed. "Yeah, but that's kid stuff. It's embarrassing now. I'm too old for that now."

"That's preposterous!" Luna told Dandelion. "You can never be too old to have fun with your sister."

"We don't like the same things anymore," Dandelion explained. "I have _real_ things to do now. Real grown-up things."

Luna's sarcastic expression could've peeled paint. Just then, the dream changed into a loud club scene, much to Strawberry's fear, and the filly watched as Dandelion walked away into it, sporting an angry glare back at her. She tried to run after her, but her legs were frozen.

"Sissy, please don't leave! Don't leave me alone!" Strawberry begged.

"She won't," Luna said sternly. "This sisterly nightmare is over." Luna lit up her horn and pulled Dandelion out of that loud crowd and over to her little sister. She plopped her down right next to Strawberry, and kept her magic going to ensure she stayed there.

"How dare you disrespect your sister!" she scolded Dandelion, raising her voice, but not using her royal Canterlot one. "Everypony grows up and changes, but you don't ever leave behind your sister."

"But, she-"

A stomp of her hoof made Dandelion think better of arguing. Luna smiled warmly at Strawberry. "Now, let's try to meet in the middle. Name something you and Dandelion can do for big ponies and little ponies."

Strawberry thought for a few moments. "Swimming!"

Luna changed the dream's scene to that of a swimming pool. Delighted, Strawberry hurriedly jumped into the water and called for her sister to join in.

"Well?" Luna asked Dandelion with a smirk, seeing Dandelion was indeed tempted.

"I guess I can join for a little while," she finally said sheepishly. Dandelion jumped into the pool, making a huge splash and amusing her sister. It only took seconds for the two of them to begin playing around with each other. Splashing, dunking each other, and holding their breaths beneath the water. Luna's smirk became a genuine smile as she watched them, and she began thinking of when she and Celestia played together the same way when they were fillies.

"Are you okay?" Luna heard Strawberry ask. Luna looked down to see Strawberry was speaking to her. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm alright," Luna quickly answered, wiping away the few tears she didn't know had appeared. "Have fun. And always make time for your sister."

Dandelion looked fondly at Strawberry. "I promise."

With that, Luna exited Strawberry's dream. She felt proud she helped with Strawberry's sister, but what about hers? Somehow, it only made Luna realize that much more she and Celestia needed that day to themselves. Otherwise, they'd be heading in a similar direction... again.

There was something they still enjoyed together that wasn't about the palace or their royal duties. Something. They just had to find it. Luna would try everything if she had to.

"After all, she's my sister."


	5. How Not To Cook

After a long night, as usual, Luna entered the kitchen. Something was different this morning: Celestia was absent. Luna wondered if she'd come back earlier than usual, but the sun shining in through the window proved otherwise. If the sun was raised, Celestia had to be awake. She asked the pair of guards at the kitchen door if they'd seen Celestia, but both shook their heads.

"Perhaps her sleeping quarters?" Luna guessed as she headed there. But Celestia's bedroom was also empty, nor had the guards near there seen her since she woke up. Though she didn't like to fret, Luna worried a little. Both she and her sister had a mischievous streak, but since Luna's return, neither had ever left the castle without telling the other where she was going. At the very least, a note would be left somewhere the other sister was sure to find it.

Taking another guess, Luna headed up to the balcony where she and Celestia moved the sun and moon. While there was still no sight of Celestia, Luna found something else of interest. The list she and Celestia tried to make the night before was lying in the center. Luna read over it. Celestia had written a few more suggestions, but crossed them out. One in particular caught Luna's eye and made her scoff: Teach Luna to cook decent... anything.

"Really, Sister?" Luna mumbled sarcastically. "Perhaps I could teach you the difference between therapeutic flowers and itchy ones."

"Perhaps you could." The unexpected response startled Luna, and she turned to see her sister standing in the archway of the balcony, bright as always.

"I was beginning to think you settled on a game of hide-and-seek for our day together," Luna teased.

"Forgive me for worrying you," Celestia said, knowing better of her sister. "I wanted to check in with Twilight. It was hardly necessary. She was already up and on her way out."

"Twilight Sparkle was having a fairly interesting dream last night," Luna mentioned with a small chuckle. "Now, what's this of you teaching me to cook decent anything, as you wrote it?"

"Sister, with all due respect... you can't boil a pot of water."

"One time! I blew up the stove one time! I still got the cookies out of the oven."

"As I recall, they looked and felt like burnt rocks," Celestia laughed. "A pony could wage war with those."

"Hmm..." Luna mumbled, tapping her snout with her hoof. "I seem to recall a certain sun pony spending a morning in the bath because she mistook a poisonous vine for a berry one. And to say nothing of the time you thought it safe to shove your hoof into a bush of thorns. I must say you looked rather _rashing_ with spots, Sister."

"Oh, no, Luna! I draw the line at a day of puns and bad jokes!" Celestia declared half-seriously. "I still don't know where you're getting them from." After sharing a laugh for a few seconds, something else came to Celestia's mind. "I suppose you'll have to sleep for a while before we can really let our day start."

"No worries. I have a spell that lets me hold some of the energy of the dream realm to keep me energized," Luna explained. "The downside is when I release it, I'll feel the weight of that tiredness twice as much."

"Are you sure you're okay with that?" Celestia asked. "I'd rather you sleep."

"It's not harmful. Besides, I don't want to miss a minute. 24 hours isn't as a long time as it seems." Luna levitated the list over to the two of them. "However, we still haven't agreed on something."

"Well, jokes aside, I really would be happy to help you learn to cook," Celestia admitted. "I promise it really is more fun to do it yourself than have the servants do it. Besides, although I said a day and night out, I'd rather spend the day inside. Unless you want to go out."

"I'm fine with staying in, but why do you want to?" Luna asked.

"Remember what I said? Having to be perfect for the public?" Celestia reminded her. "We won't get a moment's peace if we go out during the day. That's not my idea of a day off, let alone a day with my sister."

It was true. Even with Twilight covering her duties, everypony who saw Celestia and Luna would be quick to make a huge deal of their appearance. They'd undoubtedly make their subjects feel ashamed by ignoring them. With that in mind, Luna agreed. They could spend the day inside and the night outside if they tired of being indoors.

"Fine. We can have your cooking lesson," Luna finally said with a heavy, dramatic sigh. The small smile that followed assured Celestia she was teasing, and they left the balcony to return to the kitchen.

* * *

"Luna, I said _two_ minutes, not twenty!"

"Sister, does it really-"

BOOM!

"...oops."

The explosion had blown the microwave's door off its hinges, rendering it inoperable. The nauseous smell of burning smoke from the ruined food briefly made the sisters choke. Celestia cleared it away with her wings before declaring Luna was to never touch the microwave without her around. Whenever she could have it repaired, that is.

"Forgive me if I find your instant cooking contraption to be complicated," Luna teased sarcastically.

"You push buttons!"

"I did push the buttons, Sister!" Luna laughed. "You were right. This is more fun than letting the servants do it. What's next?"

"A prayer," Celestia mumbled beneath her breath. She went to the fridge and, with her horn's levitation, pulled out several fruits from the fridge. "Let's try something that doesn't require any cooking."

"Oh, Sister, can't I have one more try with the stove?" Luna jokingly pleaded. The glare Celestia gave in response made Luna burst out laughing again.

"I think five pancakes stuck to the ceiling are enough," Celestia replied in the most deadpan voice Luna had ever heard, only adding to her amusement. After they cleaned up the mess from the microwave disaster, Luna grabbed a large bowl and two spoons at Celestia's request, and joined Celestia at the counter where she had the various fruits.

"We are making...?"

"A fruit salad," Celestia answered. "And I will ban you from the kitchen forever if this explodes!" Celestia passed her a few apples. "Now, slice these open..."

Luna slammed her front hooves onto them, crushing them instantly.

"...with this." Celestia laid a knife near her, but quickly snatched it back. "On second thought, I don't trust you."

Luna took the knife in her own magic grasp. "I can use a knife just fine, Sister."

To Celestia's surprise, Luna proved her words. She sliced and diced the fruits Celestia passed just fine without so much as a small slip-up. When all the fruit was ready and in the bowl, Celestia began using one of the spoons to slowly mix it. After a few seconds, she let Luna have a turn.

"There's no need to be fast. Just enough to let the fruit mix together without being mashed," Celestia instructed.

"I can do it." Luna mimicked her sister's action, slowly mixing in the fruit with the other spoon. After a full minute, Celestia had her stop.

"And we're done."

"That's it? I had more fun with the microwave."

"I mentor, Sister, not perform miracles," Celestia said as she pried the awfully cooked pancakes from earlier off the ceiling to trash them.

"It's my turn to give you a lesson now!" Luna exclaimed. "I know exactly what."

"What is it?" Celestia asked, genuinely curious.


	6. Reap What You've Sewn

Celestia waited patiently as Luna searched through a chest in her bedroom, levitating and dropping all the objects Luna tossed backwards to prevent being hit in the head. After several minutes, Luna finally found what she was looking for. She set down a large basket full of needles, spools of thread, and a few fabrics.

"Sewing?" Celestia guessed.

"Do you recall what I told you of young Sweetie Belle?" Luna asked. "I assisted her in re-stitching the project of her sister's she had sabotaged."

"Yes, I remember you telling me so," Celestia replied. "Except I know how to sew. I don't require a lesson in it."

"Are you sure?" Luna asked teasingly. "When is the last time you'd really sewn something?"

When Celestia took time to think about it, she had to confess Luna had a point. She remembered how to sew, but she hadn't really done it since some time before Luna's banishment. Even then, it hadn't been a hobby, so much as something she did as needed until servants could do it for her. It was only natural whatever skills she had for it rusted over the many years.

"Okay, Sister. I'll let you refresh my memory."

"Wonderful," Luna whispered to herself with a mischievous smirk.

* * *

As it turned out, there was indeed a difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. Luna had pulled out some old dresses she and Celestia had never worn for one reason or another to play with. All Luna told her to do was sew on a few buttons. Luna managed to sew ten of them on one dress with seemingly little effort, all aligned neatly and evenly. Celestia, on the other hand, was having a much harder time, despite Luna's help.

"Sister, don't pull the thread so-"

"Ouch!" Celestia cried softly. She rubbed her nose where she'd accidentally poked herself.

"-roughly." Luna finished. "Another band-aid?"

"No. I don't think any more will fit on my face." Celestia finally dropped the needle and dress in frustration. Luna tried to stifle a laugh with limited success, but she wasn't laughing at Celestia poking herself. No, she was finding it amusing how she struggled with a modern contraption while her sister was struggling with a more manual, hands-on one.

"One more try?" Luna suggested, taking the dress and needle from Celestia in her own levitation. "Copy me."

Celestia wasn't one to be a bad sport, so she took the other needle, laced the thread through, and slowly mimicked Luna's actions in stitching the buttons. One by one, she finally began to get the hang of it, though her stitching still lacked the neatness Luna's had.

"How are your skills in sewing not lacking?" Celestia asked as she picked up another dress to try stitching without Luna's help.

"I toyed around with it years ago when I was still recovering after Twilight Sparkle and her friends freed me of being Nightmare Moon's puppet," Luna answered. "Mostly when I was still confined to bed."

"I recall. You-" Celestia mistakenly broke the thread by yanking on it and popped off the button she was sewing. She lightly stomped her hoof, but tried again. "You slept a lot for the first three weeks and I had to persuade you to eat properly."

"I didn't exactly sleep well for those weeks, except perhaps the first night. Sister, why are you sewing your mane?"

"Excuse me?" Celestia looked down at her mane and gasped upon realizing she'd somehow inadvertently been sewing it with the thread. Worse, she had managed to successfully stitch some of the buttons on, meaning the old dress was now effectively attached to her mane. Rather painfully, as she learned when she tried to pull it out with her hoof. Luna cringed just watching that.

"Lesson over," Luna decided, taking a pair of scissors from the basket. She cut all the buttons off, first from the dress before cutting them out of Celestia's mane. Of course, her mane being ethereal, the small amount of cut hair grew back, not that it looked noticeably different to begin with. Luna put the basket of sewing supplies and the dressed back into her chest. "I shall assume you won't take up sewing any time soon."

Despite what happened, Celestia was smiling and looked amused. "I'll leave it to you. Though, sewing is done with a machine by most ponies nowadays."

Luna made a mock disgusted face. "Thy ponies of this time hast been spoiled by this blasphemous technology!"

"Oh, Luna," Celestia laughed.


	7. Try and Try Again

With two disastrous "lessons" behind them, the sisters decided to try their luck at... _anything_.

Baking? Luna charred the cake.

Gardening? Celestia got dizzy from mixing various scents.

Music? Luna nearly blew Celestia's ears out with metal and Luna wanted to retch at Celestia's choice of bubblegum pop.

Dancing? Were they supposed to step on each other's hooves so much? At least, they could agree shaking one's hindquarters was not dancing.

As a last resort, they even had a small contest of doing air tricks. Which promptly ended in less than five minutes when they slammed into each other and landed in a compromising position sisters should not ever be in.

"Seems all we've achieved is a close-up view of each other's hindquarters," Luna grumbled as she and her sister washed themselves off.

"Are you upset?" Celestia asked, worried.

"Aren't you, sister? I'm certain this is not what you had in mind for our day off together. 'Tis been nothing but a disaster."

"No, it hasn't! This has been the best day I've had in a long time!" Celestia exclaimed.

After being able to pick up her dropped jaw, Luna asked, "Sister, did you sniff too much of the lavender?!"

"It isn't what I had in mind, but we hadn't agreed on anything to begin with," Celestia said. "It certainly broke the monotony I've adjusted to."

Luna almost couldn't believe what Celestia was saying. Nothing had gone right in the slightest. Every single activity blew up in their faces, some literally. Yet Celestia was happy?

"Luna, I wanted to spend a day and night with you. That's it," Celestia explained. "It didn't have to be perfect. Did you really not have fun?"

Luna thought about it. Not a single thing had gone right. But in the end, she and Celestia had been able to laugh it all off. Sure, they'd gotten hurt a few times, but nothing beyond a small bruise at most. It was kind of funny when she really considered it. In a way, it even reminded her of how they played as fillies, getting so rough and making mischief together.

"I did enjoy myself," Luna finally answered with a smile. "It would be a lie to say I'm upset."

"Although, we haven't eaten since breakfast, so let's have lunch," Celestia suggested.

"It's rather late for lunch," Luna said, pointing out the window. Evening had fallen and it would soon be time for Luna to raise the moon.

"Dinner then," Celestia decided.

"Go on. I will start lining the halls."

"Oh, well, if you are going to line the halls with lavender right now, may I join you?" Celestia asked.

Luna looked surprised for brief moment, but smiled again. "Of course, sister."

* * *

"22... 23... 24. I did not know this hall could hold 24 bouquets," Celestia remarked.

"It is our biggest hall, so I find it fitting," Luna explained.

Celestia took a bundle of the lavender remaining in the cart, circled it, and placed it atop Luna's head. Luna liked it and used another bundle to make a necklace she placed around Celestia's neck. Celestia took another turn, making four anklets out of a lavender bundle for Luna. In return, Luna lined Celestia's shoes with some of another bundle.

The sisters realized they'd made a game and, for the next several minutes, had fun creating shapes out of the lavender, gradually getting larger and larger. At one point, Celestia made a long rope of it and spun it around Luna, telling her to jump each time she would move it under her feet. Before they knew it, they were both skipping over the lavender-made rope, laughing and enjoying themselves like fillies. Luna even created a second one to make the "skip lavender-rope" game a little harder, but more fun.

By the time they tired of their created game, Luna was almost late raising the moon. After she hurried to the balcony to bring up the moon, she followed Celestia to the kitchen for them to make dinner.

"What gave you the idea to make shapes out of my lavender?" Luna asked.

"Nothing in particular," Celestia answered. "It was an attempt to make you laugh. I don't think we did such a thing since we were small ourselves, sister."

Celestia pulled a few bunches of fruits and vegetables from the fridge. Luna simply watched, but Celestia passed a few of the bunches to her, as well as a few skewers.

"One more try?"

Luna hesitated for a moment before taking a skewer in her own magic grasp. "One more."

The recipe was an easy one, but this time around, Luna was more careful in mimicking what Celestia did. She diced everything Celestia passed to her perfectly, she set the temperature on the stove just right, she monitored the time, and she had no trouble placing the finished food on the skewers. Turned out Luna only needed some patience to be a good cook.

"What are these called, sister?" Luna asked as they sat together at the table.

"Kabobs."

"Why do ponies of this time place sliced food on pieces of wood?" Luna asked, giving her food a cynical glare.

"Try it," Celestia laughed. Luna placed the wooden skewer in her mouth and pulled off the fruits and vegetables. To Celestia's amusement, she kept her cynical glare, but a smile later proved she liked it.

"These kabobs are delicious! How many did we make?"

"Twenty."

Luna hastily took nine more and wasted no time in devouring them. "The deliciousness has been decupled!" When Celestia responded with the funniest confused face Luna had seen her make, she explained. "It means ten, sister. Two-in- _tens_ for you?"

"Luna, no!"


	8. Even Royals Are Naughty

After dinner ended, Luna and Celestia began packing a saddlebag for each of them. They agreed on going out for the night since they spent the day inside, but even at night, there was the chance of some ponies still out and about (much to Luna's secret delight). They refused to hurt their subjects by rejecting them, but they also wouldn't get a moment's peace if they risked being noticed. To avoid such, they had to disguise themselves.

Celestia went first. With a spell and flare of her horn, she sank to average height, becoming shorter than Luna, much to the latter's amusement. She colored her coat to a duller shade of white and her luxuriant, colorful mane stilled as she blended its colors to become pink with a light blue streak. With one final flare, she faded her horn into invisibility and for an extra touch, she wore a plain pink dress to cover her cutie mark, one Luna had sewn some time ago as a nostalgic gift.

"You look perfect, Sister!" Luna told her. "Nopony will know you are Celestia. Forgive me. Celie."

"Celie is still close enough," Celestia laughed. "But I can't imagine it would give anypony a hint. Except perhaps Twilight."

"Speaking of Twilight, have you checked in with her?" Luna asked as she prepared to disguise her own self.

"She sent me a letter during our montage of lessons to let me know how she was faring," Celestia explained. "All seemed to be going well. I imagine she has turned in for the night, as I usually would by now."

Flaring her horn, Luna also lowered her height. She halted her starry mane's flow, brightened it to an opaque shade of light blue, and magically trimmed it until its growth reached only the base of her neck. She lightened her coat to a light purple shade, but faded her wings instead of her horn. She matched her sister in height, but resembled an ordinary unicorn instead of a pegasus as her sister had chosen.

When she saw Celestia appeared skeptical, she questioned it. "Do I not look convincing?"

"You do," Celestia replied. "But are you certain you won't be recognized? It doesn't seem like a dramatic change."

"I was only seen this way on the day of my return from the moon," Luna said. "By the time I recovered enough to look after myself and travel safely, my growth caught up from being in a stasis for a thousand years. Only Twilight Sparkle remembered me when I came to Ponyville on Nightmare Night, but she has always been perceptive, has she not?"

"Indeed she has," Celestia agreed. "However, the doctor who evaluated you stated your appearance at that time was the result of severe magical exhaustion. How could your growth have fallen into a stasis?"

Luna was uncertain she wanted to answer that question. Unfortunately, she made her discomfort visible, which only prompted Celestia to urge her further.

"Tell me, Sister," Celestia insisted. "Why did that happen?"

"If I tell you, I fear how you will take it," Luna answered.

"How I will handle it is not important," Celestia stated, reverting back to her true form. "I will not go out until you answer me."

"Why do you talk to me like that?" Luna asked, a hint of anger in her tone. "Why do you forget being your younger sister does not make me a child?"

For a moment, Celestia was stunned at the accusation. She, of course, hadn't meant her words in that way, but at the same time, she could hardly deny she had her moments of being more mother-like than sister-like toward Luna. However, as far as she could remember, it'd never been without Luna giving her some reason for concern, such as now.

"You know I don't intend to treat you childishly," Celestia argued calmly. "However, I do wish you'd stop concealing things from me. I want to help you, Luna. I will not give up on you." Her voice softened. "Not again."

That was enough to make Luna pause. Thinking about it, even she didn't know why she argued. She had certainly gotten used to bottling up her feelings prior to her banishment since during that time, Celestia was nowhere near as approachable as she was now. Perhaps old habits truly died hard.

Luna sighed, but gave in. "Nightmare Moon was a part of me, but she held my body and mind captive for all that time. I had no control over even my own thoughts. I was conscious, but I had no autonomy of my own will."

"You were a puppet," Celestia realized, her eyes showing heartbreak. "Your feelings... that I ignored all that time... they consumed you when they festered to their worst point and you became a puppet. I already know that, Luna, and during your absence, no day went by I didn't chastise myself for it when I understood."

"Then, why did you-?"

"You made it sound as if your growth being halted was a different matter," Celestia answered. "Your whole being was in stasis while Nightmare Moon controlled you. Yes, I know."

Some moments of awkward silence passed before either sister spoke again. Celestia smiled warmly and re-disguised herself. "Are we going out?" she asked. "Doth Princess Luna wantest to enjoyest her night?"

Luna chuckled at Celestia's attempt to speak in what'd been their traditional usage, and nodded. "We," she said, pointing to herself, "are ready."

"As Luna?"

Luna didn't think her name could give her away, but interestingly, she hadn't ever known another pony to possess it. After giving it some thought, she settled on calling herself Violet, the color of her nights. As an extra precaution, she also wore a dress to cover her cutie mark and styled her mane into a braided plait. Unlike the plain dress Celestia had chosen, the dress Luna wore was adorned with a large bat on its torso and its hem was sewn roughly to resemble a pattern of bat wings.

Finally ready, "Celie" and "Violet" grabbed their saddlebags and headed out, informing the guards to expect them to be absent for most of the night. They felt excitement they hadn't felt since they were teenage ponies, not yet crowned as the rulers of Equestria. This night would be fun, though hopefully, less disastrous.

* * *

"You did a lovely job with this night," Celestia praised her sister. "The stars look like they're twinkling more brightly than usual and the air feels very fresh. Did you do this just for us?"

Luna nodded. "If you'd given me earlier notice, I could've asked the weather pegasi to ensure this particular night was a clear one. We're only fortunate it is."

The sisters still yet had to think of any specific thing to do for the night, but the leisurely stroll itself was enjoyable. It really hammered in how much they needed the downtime they had today. They trotted down the road for some time before Celestia spotted somepony out of the corner of her eye. She immediately became irritated, something Luna caught on to just as quickly.

"What is wrong, sister?" Luna whispered. "Who is that pony?"

Celestia relaxed herself. "His name is Tin Heart, which is fitting if I'm honest."

"I assume he is one of the many nobles who tend to make a spectacle of themselves in your courtroom?" Luna guessed.

"Indeed," Celestia replied with a nod. "Were I to tell you of his most recent request, I'd risk you dying of laughter."

"I need not imagine," Luna reminded her. "I began holding my own nightly court some months ago. I truly believe fillies who attend daycare would behave more maturely. But do not allow it to bother you tonight, sister. This is our night to not worry about such."

"You are right," Celestia agreed. However, that's when an idea popped into her head. A mischievous idea a regal pony such as herself should've been ashamed of, but wasn't. Luna took note of her sudden sly smirk and urged her to say what she was thinking. Rather than explain, Celestia opted to show Luna. They walked a little faster until Tin Heart passed them and, predictably, turned up his nose at the sight of "peasant ponies" in Canterlot. Before he got too far behind them, Celestia hastily moved the moon to shine its light directly into his face. It was for no more than a second, but he yelled in shock at being "blinded", despite he clearly recovered quickly since the moon's light was not enough to blind anypony. Not unless Luna made it so anyway.

For a moment, Luna stared in surprise at what she watched her sister do. But she soon joined Celestia in quiet laughter as they watched Tin Heart's dramatics. It took so much restraint to prevent their laughter from becoming loud as Tin Heart swore at the moon and declared he would demand Princess Luna obscure it for the next night. In fact, he turned back around to head in the same direction he'd come from, passing by the sisters again. They couldn't hide their laughter in time for their smiles to avoid his sight.

"I'm not surprised such unrefined ponies are so uncouth!" he exclaimed bitterly. "To laugh at my expense. Do you foals know who I am?"

"Somepony who needs night shades?" Celestia retorted sarcastically, forcing Luna to stifle another laugh. Tin Heart stomped away as Luna and Celestia finally let their snickers out. Their playfulness was usually something they kept private between the two of them in their castle, but being in disguise, it hardly mattered. Tin Heart clearly hadn't recognized either of them or he wouldn't have spoken to them in the manner he did.

When they could finally stop laughing, Luna spoke. "That was truly unexpected of you, Sister. A little revenge for his usual behavior in your courtroom?"

"I suppose you could say so," Celestia said. "Though I do apologize you'll now have to deal with him."

"Do not worry. He would have a complaint one way or another. Some of the nobility are the type who'd ask us to alter how the grass grows if we could."

"I have a real story about a request like that."

"I'm certain you do," Luna remarked. "So, Sister... are you keen on a night of pranking?"

"It was only an impulsive idea for Tin Heart, but if you are willing..."

"Only if we don't hurt anypony," Luna insisted. "Let's not become what we despise."

"Of course! Harmless pranks only," Celestia agreed. "Let's go to into the most upper-class area of Canterlot, where most of the nobility resides."

"We shall receive their complaints the next day and night," Luna said with a laugh, "but it shall be worth it." She got an agreeing smile from Celestia in response and off they went.

* * *

 _Author's note: For those who may be curious about why I went with "Violet" instead of "Lulu" for Luna, it's because I personally don't like that (nick)name. I find "Celie" (which is also canon from "The Journal of the Two Sisters") to be cute, however, and like it more than "Tia"._


	9. The Prank Night Is On

Celestia and Luna headed up to Canterlot's wealthiest area. Wealthiest besides their own anyway. They couldn't stop snickering to each other about what kind of pranks they'd pull. There were the classic options, like "ding-dong-ditch" (or "ring and run", as Luna preferred to call it), but they could also come up with some naughtier ideas. The only rule was, of course, don't hurt anypony. The goal was to have fun, not be malicious.

It only took a short time after they arrived to spot two nobles they wanted to be their first targets: Prized Eyes and Special Hue. Luna knew them from her most recent session of nightly court, where they'd instigated arguments among some of the other representatives to try to gain Luna's favor.

"It was their first time in my court," Luna explained to Celestia. "They swore they wouldn't rejoin my court with the most false politeness I've seen."

"Seems they thought they could win your favor if they couldn't win mine," Celestia replied. "It's been months since they've been in my court. I've started to realize our courts share much of the same nobility. Seems they've somehow gotten the idea if one of us won't agree, the other will."

"You speak as if they're subtle about that, Sister," Luna remarked.

The sisters crept to hear what Prized Eyes and Special Hue were discussing, but kept certain to remain hidden from view. Unsurprisingly, they were complaining about the day and night courts being cancelled, and Luna's refusal to grant their requests at her previous courts. Prized Eyes, in particular, was also hinting at joining Luna's next session of court. So much for not rejoining.

Luna looked around and got an idea when she spotted some thorny bushes. With her magic, she inconspicuously grew out one of its thorny branches and laid it in the path of Prized Eyes and Special Hue. Distracted by their conversation, neither pony saw the branch in their way until they fell for it. Prized Eyes stepped right onto the branch's small thorns while Special Hue tripped over it, though not enough to give her a hard fall onto the ground.

"We must demand the princesses order these awful plants to be cut!" Prized Eyes snapped as he helped his wife up.

"Agreed," Special Hue remarked snobbishly. "How any respectable pony would allow such trifling plants on their lawn is beyond me."

They walked away, continuing their conversation of complaints, as the royal sisters let their laughter burst out of them. Celestia praised her sister on such a well-executed prank. Luna used her magic again to shrink the branch back into its bush. Now, it was Celestia's turn. They walked on, searching for the next noble to be their prank victim. The search took little time.

Celestia's chosen next target went by the name of Ornate Opal. For her, the prank to pull was so obvious, she felt uncreative in selecting it, but she went on with it anyway. She picked up a decently sized rock and disguised it as a jewel, enlarging it a slight amount. She levitated it over to Ornate Opal's face. The moment he saw it, he wanted it and tried to grab it, but Celestia yanked it out of his reach. He tried to grabbed it again, but Celestia moved it out of his reach a second time. This time, Ornate slowly crept up on the gem before making a grab for it, but again, his attempt was useless.

Luna's face was getting sore from struggling to hold in so much laughter as she watched her sister toy with this pony like he was a cat. Finally, after twenty-two attempts that Luna counted, Celestia cut the poor noble some slack and undisguised the gem to reveal it was a rock. Ornate was furious, but Celestia and Luna hurried out of sight before they could be spotted. Ornate smacked the rock away before resuming his noble posture and continuing on his way, though he silently swore beneath his breath he'd make a formal complaint to the princesses about the mysterious prankster.

"Sister," Luna said, her words juggling with her laughter, "if it wouldn't cause us so much grief, I'd propose a contest of who can garner the most complaints for our next court sessions!"

"Oh, no, Luna!" Celestia laughed. "I could never do that to you! Granted, we won't have the grounds to complain tomorrow. We deserve the complaints."

"It may sound irrational, sister, but I'd prefer earned complaints over petty ones," Luna admitted. "I worry more about how to contain our laughter!"

The night of pranks went on, each sister taking turns choosing an unsuspecting member of nobility and a prank to pull. They did some of the classics and some non-classics, but not one prank went off without laughter that was only stifled to avoid being caught. As their fun went on, they remained in agreement whatever grief they got from their courts the next day and night would be worth it. They truly couldn't recall a time they'd had so much fun together.

Of course, all fun things had to come to an end and the sisters eventually realized they had to bring their prank night to a close. They were tired, but it was pleasing way of feeling tired. Luna was already beginning to fall asleep, no doubt because the spell that allowed her to maintain energy from the dreamscape was wearing off. They began on their way toward their castle, Celestia flying with Luna on her back just to avoid any suspicion from seeing a unicorn flying in the night.


	10. All Is Fun and Forgiven

There were still a few hours before the sun needed to be raised, so the sisters weren't short on time. The flight home was being taken slowly to continue enjoying Luna's night and to let them keep laughing over their mischief.

"Sister, I'm really happy this idea came to you," Luna said as she magically lightened herself to take some weight off Celestia. "I'm still surprised it would, but this night and the past day were the best I've had with you since my return."

"It... may not be as random as it seemed," Celestia muttered.

"How? You told me earlier it suddenly came to you before you were to begin your duties."

"Luna, do you remember how ill you were at first upon returning?" Celestia asked.

Luna nodded. "It's hardly forgettable. It was rather strange. I initially seemed healthy when the elements washed away the darkness, but upon being brought to the castle, I nearly collapsed. You told me I slept for a full twenty-four hours and when I woke, you couldn't convince me to eat or drink anything. I was in that condition for two weeks, and I still had to stay indoors for a few months until my magic recovered. Why do you mention it?"

"Maybe you don't remember this part, but aside from the celebration on the morning you returned, I didn't see you smile for much of that time you were recovering," Celestia recalled. "But I remember when you finally did."

"When was that?" Luna asked, trying to recall the moment herself. Nothing came to her mind.

"It was one night you slept next to me in my bed," Celestia told her, beginning to daydream as she fondly remembered. "You were almost fully healthy again, but for whatever reason, you couldn't sleep straightforwardly that night. You were waking up every two hours or so."

"I do recall that," Luna said. "That's why you insisted I sleep next to you."

"Yes. We stayed awake and talked about miscellaneous things for a long while until you fell asleep again," Celestia remembered. "I stayed awake for longer to see if you'd wake up again, but instead, you began to talk in your sleep."

"Did I say something that concerned you?"

"I didn't know what you were mumbling about, but it sounded like you were dreaming of our childhood. You were calling me "Celie". Then, you started laughing, and you also said "that's not funny" and "it's my turn". I assumed you were dreaming of when we played silly pranks on each other as fillies so long ago."

"Much to Mother and Father's annoyance," Luna joked. Right then, her memory jogged. "Wait, I do remember this, Sister! You told me about it in the morning after you raised the sun. And you said..." Luna's face relaxed into a serene smile. "...you said you hope we can go back to that someday."

"And that's when you smiled again," Celestia said. "You didn't say anything, but you stayed tucked under my wing for a while and we just enjoyed that moment. Please tell me, Sister, did I keep my word?"

"You always were a mare of your word."

"Yes..." Celestia's tone turned bitter, startling Luna a bit. "A mare of my word until it came to the promise to protect my baby sister..."

"Pardon, sister?" Luna questioned.

"Did I ever tell you I wasn't happy at first about becoming a sister?"

"You, Mother, and Father," Luna answered. "Yes, when Mother was pregnant, you didn't like the news. You came around some weeks after I was born. But you were a filly. You can't chastise yourself for that."

"I don't, but it's amusing now because I can't remember not loving you. I can barely remember that small amount of childhood without you. It was the first time you had a nightmare and woke up crying. I "inspected" your bedroom that night to make you feel better, but we slept in my room together anyway. That was when I promised to always protect you. Sure, it was about imaginary childhood monsters at the time, but when I said "always", I meant it. Even as a filly, that was a serious promise."

Luna knew exactly where this was going, and she stopped Celestia right there.

"Sister, I appreciate you're apologetic, but please, let's not discuss that tonight."

"I didn't intend to kill the mood," Celestia explained. "I'm telling you this because you think of Nightmare Moon as purely your sin alone. And that is not true. I also changed for worse and it was you, Luna, who knocked me back down. Whether my actions were out of ignorance or naïveté, after your banishment, I swore to never give up on you again."

Luna was at a loss for words. Celestia had said earlier she was remorseful about what ultimately led to Nightmare Moon, but this was when Luna saw she and her sister truly shared a similar pain. Their flight was silent again for a short while, both having many thoughts running through their minds and wanting to break the silence, but unsure how. Finally, it was Luna who spoke up.

"Sister, do you forgive yourself for that?"

"I know you have forgiven me, but I'm not sure I have."

"I can say those same words. Perhaps we've both forgotten something."

"What would that be, Luna?"

"It is over. We forgave each other because it was so long ago and we only want to be together again. But if none of it matters and we can forgive each other, we should try to forgive ourselves too. I forgot to tell you my cuts are all almost healed."

Celestia smiled brightly. "That's great news. You are right. Beating ourselves up over it now is pointless. If you will try to forgive yourself in time, I will try to forgive myself. As long as-"

"I don't hide my pain from you anymore. Promise."

If smiles were light, the sisters would've shone as the brightest stars in the night sky. They dropped the matter and returned to joking over their night of mischief. No words needed to be said to know that was the last time they'd speak of that part of their past. As Luna said, it was over.

It was all over.

* * *

The sisters returned home and reverted from their disguises as "Celie" and "Violet" as soon as they were indoors. The energy spell was almost fully worn off and Luna felt so tired, she couldn't stand up straight. Celestia walked her to her bedroom and helped her climb into bed. There were now only two hours before Celestia was to raise the sun. Luna worried about Celestia going about her duties with so little sleep, but Celestia assured her it wasn't nothing she couldn't handle. She wouldn't change a thing.

Unable to fight sleep any longer, Luna said one last thing before she drifted off: "Thank you so much, big sister. I love you."

"Thank you. I love you too."

Celestia pulled the blanket over Luna as she fell into her much-needed deep slumber. Celestia decided against taking herself to bed since, with only two hours until she had to raise the sun, she'd surely oversleep. She left Luna's room, quietly closing the bedroom door as she walked out, and headed to the kitchen. She glanced at the broken microwave for a moment and shook her head in amusement before putting it away in a cabinet. She'd send it to be repaired later.

She pulled out the ingredients she wanted and started on making blackberry pancakes. She also wrote a small note and stuck it to the fridge for Luna to read when she later discovered the breakfast.

 _"Heat them up with your horn!"_ \- Celestia

"If she messes that up," Celestia thought to herself, "I'm placing guards at all the kitchen supplies!"

\- The End


End file.
